Variation among early North American crania.

The limited morphometric work on early American crania to date has treated them as a single, temporally defined group. This paper addresses the question of whether there is significant variability among ancient American crania. A sample of 11 crania (Spirit Cave, Wizards Beach, Browns Valley, Pelican Rapids, Prospect, Wet Gravel male, Wet Gravel female, Medicine Crow, Turin, Lime Creek, and Swanson Lake) dating from the early to mid Holocene was available. Some have recent accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates, while others are dated geologically or archaeologically. All are in excess of 4500 BP, and most are 7000 BP or older. Measurements follow the definitions of Howells [(1973) Cranial variation in man, Cambridge: Harvard University). Some crania are incomplete, but 22 measurements were common to all fossils. Cranial variation was examined by calculating the Mahalanobis distance between each pair of fossils, using a pooled within sample covariance matrix estimated from the data of Howells. The distance relationships among crania suggest the presence of at least three distinct groups: 1) a middle Archaic Plains group (Turin and Medicine Crow), 2) a Paleo/Early Archaic Great Lakes/Plains group (Browns Valley, Pelican Rapids, Lime Creek), and 3) a spatially and temporally heterogeneous group that includes the Great Basin/Pacific Coast (Spirit Cave, Wizards Beach, Prospect) and Nebraska (Wet Gravel specimens and Swanson Lake). These crania were also compared to Howells' worldwide recent sample, which was expanded by including six additional American Indian samples. None of the fossils, except for the Wet Gravel male, shows any particular affinity to recent Native Americans; their greatest similarities are with Europe, Polynesia, or East Asia. Several crania would be atypical in any recent population for which we have data. Browns Valley, Pelican Rapids, and Lime Creek are the most distinctive. They provide evidence for the presence of an early population that bears no similarity to the morphometric pattern of recent American Indians or even to crania of comparable date in other regions of the continent. The heterogeneity among early American crania makes it inadvisable to pool them for purposes of morphometric analysis. Whether this heterogeneity results from different early migrations or one highly differentiated population cannot be established from our data. Our results are inconsistent with hypotheses of an ancestor-descendent relationship between early and late Holocene American populations. They suggest that the pattern of cranial variation is of recent origin, at least in the Plains region.

Archaeological politics and public interest in paleoamerican studies: lessons from Gordon Creek Woman and Kennewick Man.

This paper discusses the Kennewick lawsuit as it relates to the intended purposes of NAGPRA. It also reflects upon comments made by Swedlund and Anderson (1999) in a recent American Antiquity Forum, which conceptually linked two ancient skeletons, Gordon Creek Woman and Kennewick Man. Their assertions indicate the need for clarifying specific issues and events pertaining to the case. We comment on how times have changed with the passage of NAGPRA, how differently these two skeletons have been treated by the media and the scientists interested in them, and show how discussions of biological affiliation have relevance. There is still much to be learned from Kennewick Man and Gordon Creek Woman. But attempts to bring the concept of race or racial typing into the picture show misunderstanding regarding the use of morphological data in tracing population historical relationships, not to mention obfuscating the scientific issues they raise.

Identification of Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum in a 200-year-old skeletal specimen.

Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum, the causative agent of venereal syphilis, was detected in a 200-year-old skeletal specimen from Easter Island. An initial diagnosis of treponemal infection was confirmed by extensive purification of immunoglobulin that reacted strongly with T. pallidum antigen. Extracted DNA exhibited a single-base polymorphism that distinguished T.p. subsp. pallidum from 4 other human and nonhuman treponemes. Extensive precautions against contamination of the subject matter with modern treponemal DNA were employed, including analysis of archaeological and modern specimens in 2 geographically separate laboratories. Molecular determination of historical disease states by using skeletal material can significantly enhance our understanding of the pathology and spread of infectious diseases.

The role of forensic anthropology in the recovery and analysis of Branch Davidian Compound victims: recovery procedures and characteristics of the victims.

Anthropological contributions to the investigation of the events at the Branch Davidian Compound near Waco, Texas in early 1993, were of two major types: the recovery of human remains from the site and the analysis of most of those individuals at the Medical Examiner's Office in Fort Worth, Texas. This paper describes the role of forensic anthropology in the recovery and analysis of Branch Davidian Compound victims and the recovery procedures and characteristics of the victims.

The role of forensic anthropology in the recovery and analysis of Branch Davidian Compound victims: techniques of analysis.

The recovery and analysis of human remains from the Branch Davidian Compound, Mount Carmel, Texas, was a multidisciplinary team effort. This presentation deals with one aspect of the forensic anthropological contribution to this collaborative endeavor--the examination and inventory of human skeletal remains and the interpretation of these osteological data. Briefly described first are the content and format of the skeletal inventory and the examination procedures used for data collection. Two subsequent sections illustrate the use of these data to determine (a) age, sex, ancestry, stature, and other distinguishing characteristics, and (b) the presence and nature of any premortem, perimortem, and postmortem trauma. The next section shows how these findings assist in establishing positive identification through, for example, comparison with medical, dental, and other background records, especially comparison of premortem and postmortem radiographs of bones or dentition. In this context, we consider also the sorting of commingled remains, which includes preliminary assessment of rapidly decomposing remains prior to autopsy to preserve information crucial to identification.

Identification of the fragmentary, burned remains of two U.S. journalists seven years after their disappearance in Guatemala.

The contribution of a physical anthropologist to a forensic investigation is generally associated with analysis of skeletal remains in a laboratory. This case, which deals with the identification of two U.S. journalists who disappeared in Guatemala in March 1985, shows that the observations of a physical anthropologist in the field--at the site where the skeletal remains are located--can be essential to the success of an investigation. In this case, there was a deliberate attempt to mislead the investigators, but the physical anthropologists on the team discovered the deception. Subsequently, when they were taken to the actual cremation site, they obtained bone fragments and teeth that permitted identification of the victims. For one individual, the unusual morphology of the frontal sinus made positive identification possible. Comparison of premortem dental X-rays with teeth found at the site resulted in positive identification of the second individual.

Positive identification in a case of intentional extreme fragmentation.

The investigation of the first of the murders of young males to which Jeffrey Dahmer confessed led to systematic survey of two acres of semirural property in Bath Township, Ohio. The survey revealed the fragmentary skeleton of a young adult male, as well as bones of several species of animals. Through archaeobiological analysis, the animal bones were identified and taphonomic modifications documented. The human bones were dry and weathered, and many were rodent-gnawed, indicating that they had been exposed for many years. The human bones displayed an extreme degree of splintering, warping, bending, and spiral breakage. The only relatively complete bone was a cervical vertebra. Dismemberment and breakage had been accomplished by cutting, blunt force, and, in the case of the ribs, manual bending. Even in so extreme a case of intentional fragmentation, however, forensic anthropological analysis resulted in positive identification, with the primary criteria based on matching osteological features evident in premortem and postmortem radiographs of a cervical vertebra.

Human osteology: key to the sequence of events in a postmortem shooting.

Forensic anthropologic examination of human skeletal remains found when a field was plowed provides evidence of both perimortem trauma, suggesting cause of death, and of subsequent shooting of the disarticulated skeleton. The case exemplifies the application of the specialized skills and knowledge of the physical anthropologist to determination of the postmortem sequence of events.

Field recovery and analysis of horse skeletal remains.

In response to a request from an insurance company investigating a claim relative to the death of four race and show horses, allegedly as a result of deliberate starvation, physical anthropologists of the Louisiana State University (LSU) Department of Geography and Anthropology undertook the recovery and analysis of skeletal remains said to be those of the animals. The objectives were to determine the number and kinds of animals represented, their ages, and sexes, and, through morphometric evaluation of bone density at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, whether there was evidence of nutritional osteodystrophy. The skeletons were the remains of four horses. In comparisons of data derived from these skeletons with breeding records for the horses described in the insurance claim, it was established that the skeletons were those of mares, as were the insured animals, and that the relative ages of the four approximated those of the insured horses. The skeletal samples submitted for morphometric evaluation showed no evidence of nutritional osteodystrophy and, thus, provided no support for the contention that death had resulted from starvation. In one horse, the superior aspect of the right ascending ramus of the lower jaw below the coronoid process revealed a gunshot wound; the other skeletons showed no evidence of trauma.

Positive personal identity of skeletonized remains using abdominal and pelvic radiographs.

Premortem and postmortem radiographs of the chest and abdomen are often available for comparison and provide a basis for making or rejecting an identification. The case reported here exemplifies the way that individualizing features, such as contours of bony elements, skeletal anomalies, and radiodensities and radiolucencies, are used in establishing personal identity.

Talon cusp: a review with three cases from native North America.

Supernumerary lingual tubercles ("talon cusps") in three North American Indians are reported. These cusp-like structures typically occur unilaterally on permanent maxillary lateral incisors. We speculate that sporadic occurrences of this type probably are induced by trauma or other localized insults affecting the tooth germ. Multiple occurrences in an individual may have a separate etiology, the most severely affected cases being associated with craniofacial syndromes.

Os trigonum. Variation of a common accessory ossicle of the talus.

The authors present a pictorial essay showing the range of variability of separate and attached os trigona in dry-bone specimens. The presence of free os trigona is found to be 1.7% in an early 20th-century skeletal sample, with no findings of the trait in 513 tali of prehistoric native Americans and Eskimos.

Radiographic examination of Chinese foot binding.

The authors present a radiographic case report of foot binding in a probable Chinese female. The radiographs, taken in 1948, are from an archival collection and represent severe, prolonged deformities of the left foot. Information supplied by a visiting anthropologist from Shanghai, China, adds to a knowledge and understanding of the custom of Chinese foot binding in both the past and the present.

Foot deformity of unknown etiology in a prehistoric skeleton from Texas.

An unusual foot deformity in an archaeological specimen from Oldham County, Texas, is presented. It is hoped that through description and radiographic and photographic examination the readers will be able to offer opinions concerning the frequency or possible etiology of the condition.

Positive identification based on radiographic examination of the leg and foot. A case report.

The authors have presented a forensic anthropology case that established positive identification by comparison of antemortem and postmortem x-rays of the legs and feet. This case illustrates one method of ascertaining the identity of a burned and skeletonized victim. By careful reconstruction and examination of the skeleton, the investigators were able to determine not only age, race, and sex, but also trauma sustained to the head and left arm at the time of death. This case highlights the importance and application of clinical radiography in a legal context.

Anatomy of uncorrected talipes equinovarus in a fifteenth-century American Indian.

Although congenital talipes equinovarus is the most common major musculoskeletal malformation in contemporary populations, its occurrence in archaeological specimens is rare. The deformity of untreated clubfoot in an adult American Indian male is discussed.